Bulgaria faces a last-minute scramble to avert a possible one-year delay in joining the European Union, Financial Times reported Saturday.
The scramble comes after a warning by EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, who said that not enough has been done to crack down on high-level corruption and organised crime.
The Socialist-led coalition government has only two weeks to show its commitment to implementing judicial reform before the Commission closes its report on Bulgaria's preparedness for EU entry on April 30.
"There are still serious concerns as regards the rule of law and its functioning in the country," the FT cites Rehn as saying during his visit to Sofia on Thursday. But he added that Bulgaria could still join the EU as scheduled January 1, 2007.